Learning path

Fabric: InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Ethernet

How GPUs talk to each other across racks. Two fabrics compete: InfiniBand, and NVIDIA Spectrum-X, which brings lossless Ethernet (RoCE), adaptive routing and telemetry to standard Ethernet. The exam weighs them equally at 30 % each; troubleshooting tools are another 20 %.

Source: https://neocloud.fyi/sources/ Checked 2026-09-18

site's own compiled learning path, synthesised from the sources cited in each step

about 24 h · USD 630 to 660 with the exam

  1. optional Introduction to Networking Generic networking primer. Skim if you already run networks. free2 h Opened 2026-10-06: NVIDIA's AI networking learning path lists this course as self-paced, free, 2 hours: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/learn/learning-paths/ai-networking/
  2. core InfiniBand Essentials Short official primer: subnet manager, LIDs, partition keys, the vocabulary of the fabric. free1.5 h
  3. core Cumulus Linux Essentials The Cumulus course NVIDIA actually links from the exam page: CLI, interfaces, routing, bonds, bridges. free1.5 h
  4. core InfiniBand Network Administration The one paid course worth it: configuration, QoS, adaptive routing, partition keys, UFM. Maps onto a full 30 % domain. USD 2006 h
  5. core NVIDIA DSX Air simulator Cloud simulator for Cumulus switches, Spectrum-X, SuperNICs and NetQ. Rehearse NVUE, BGP-EVPN and RoCE configuration without hardware. Confirm the free tier at sign-up. free trial5 h Opened 2026-10-06: NVIDIA's DSX Air account-setup docs describe a one-year free trial (60 vCPUs, 60 GiB, 10,000 compute hours) started by an NGC organisation owner; a business email is required and usage is otherwise billed per compute hour: https://docs.nvidia.com/dsx-air/account-setup/
  6. core Read the docs instead of a course UFM overview and diagnostics, the NVUE reference, the NCCL guide and the MLNX_OFED to DOCA-OFED transition guide.
    Also: NVUE reference · NCCL guide · DOCA-OFED transition     free4 h
  7. optional Introduction to DOCA for DPUs Free two-hour course on BlueField DPUs and the DOCA framework, the part of the fabric that lives in the server. free2 h
  8. core Half a day on a rented InfiniBand cluster Two GPU nodes with real InfiniBand: run nccl-tests, perftest, ibstat and ibdiagnet, and keep the numbers. Verda and RunPod bill by the hour with no minimum; Lambda needs 16 GPUs for two weeks.
    Also: RunPod Instant Clusters · nccl-tests     USD 30 to 604 h
  9. skip Cumulus Linux Administration Deeper paid boot camp. The free Essentials course plus the simulator covers what the exam asks. USD 1005 h Opened 2026-10-06: NVIDIA's AI networking learning path lists this course as self-paced, USD 100, 5 hours: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/learn/learning-paths/ai-networking/
  10. skip Spectrum-X Administration, instructor-led Twelve hours for USD 1,500. The documentation and simulator cover the same objectives. USD 1,50012 h Opened 2026-10-06: NVIDIA's AI networking learning path lists the Spectrum-X Networking Platform Administration private workshop as instructor-led, USD 1,500, 12 hours: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/learn/learning-paths/ai-networking/
  11. core Exam: NCP-AIN See the exam entry below. USD 4002 h

What was not found

No first-person pass reports, no official practice exam and no credible video series were found. Sites selling 'actual questions' are dumps and break the exam agreement.

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